Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

52 – Magical Accountant

A gunshot and an anguished question from the octopus.

That was more than enough.

To crank up the tension between Sora and me.

“What the fuck?”

“Wh-What’s going on here!”

Blindsided by the sudden commotion, Sora and I whipped our heads around. At the edge of our vision were Octopus and Whitedog.

Though, they were far from their usual selves.

“Why in the world are you shooting magic at a magical girl!”

Octopus clutched at one of her arms, apparently struck by Whitedog’s magic.

It wasn’t a fatal wound, but the injured limb happened to be the one holding her magic wand. She’d likely be hindered from moving or using magic for a while.

Meanwhile, Whitedog, at first glance, didn’t appear as seriously affected as Octopus. All she did was blow on the barrel of her double-barreled shotgun, puffing air.

It was Whitedog as always.

Whitedog right after casting a spell, that is.

The problem was, the target of that spell.

While Octopus might be a *slightly* problematic magical girl, she was, in fact, a magical girl, through and through.

And yet.

Whitedog had cast a spell.

Not at a monster, but at a magical girl.

Even more, Whitedog didn’t seem surprised or apologetic that Octopus was injured because of her.

“Tch…a shame.”

She simply voiced her disappointment quietly.

“Senpai, why my sister…?”

“Well, probably the curse. She must have been affected earlier.”

This had to be the work of a curse.

Though, which curse, I couldn’t say. I had no clear idea.

“Just what kind of curse *is* she under? One that amplifies negative emotions, perhaps?”

An amplification of ill will?

“Could be, I suppose.”

It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Whitedog and Octopus’s relationship couldn’t exactly be described as friendly, normally. With the influence of a curse, dislike could have escalated into outright murderous intent.

However, I had to discard that assumption.

– *Click.*

This time, Whitedog was aiming at Sora.

Whitedog’s magic wand, usually pointed at monsters, was now aimed directly at Sora.

If it were a mere amplification of negative emotions, she wouldn’t target Sora, not when Nakji and I were around, at least.

Though she never overtly showed it, it was clear as day that Heuindeungi cherished Sora.

Which meant Heuindeungi was afflicted by a curse so vile, it drove her to attack even her own family, Sora.

Then, two sounds echoed in quick succession.

“Unnie…?”

Sora’s bewildered question.

And then.

– Ta-ang.

Another gunshot.

Thankfully, Sora wasn’t hurt. Partly because I pulled her back, but also because Sora seemed to sense something amiss and moved her feet with swiftness.

“But, Unnie, why… why would she…?”

Of course, dodging the bullet was one thing, understanding it was quite another.

As luck would have it, the spot Sora and I evaded to was near Nakji. And just then, Nakji cast us a glance brimming with worry.

“Are you alright, desuwa?”

“Well, for the moment.”

Then, Sora and Nakji, each wearing a different expression, cried out to Heuindeungi.

“Unnie! What’s wrong! Please, come to your senses!”

Sora, her face etched with heartbreak.

“This is not the way, desuwa! No matter how inferior you feel, your essence is still that of a magical girl!”

Nakji, her face contorted with resentment and betrayal.

At that moment, Heuindeungi, who hadn’t reacted until now, suddenly smirked at us.

“The me you know is no magical girl anymore.”

Thud, Heuindeungi slowly took a step forward.

“My name is Lay.”

Heuindeungi snapped the barrel of her gun.

Ting, ting, two spent casings fell to the ground.

“There’s a magnificent magical house in the city, all the money one could desire, tremendous social power and status, the existence of a magical high-ranking.”

Click, click, two bullets were loaded.

“And!”

Heuindeungi returned the gun barrel to its original position.

A sharp, ominous *click* echoed in my ears.

“I’ll smash all your Magical Ant heads! And *destroy* them!”

*Thump*, Whitedog’s footsteps ceased.

“Magical Accountant!!!”

*Click-clack*, Whitedog leveled her wand at us.

And.

Finally.

“Ant, I’m going to *shake you down*.”

– *Taang!*

With a dry snapping sound, magic erupted from Whitedog’s wand.

Reacting swiftly, Sora countered.

“Fire will protect us.”

A barrier of azure flames materialized before us, intercepting Whitedog’s magic.

Perhaps due to the spell being cast without an incantation, Whitedog’s magic didn’t reach the level I knew. It certainly couldn’t pierce Sora’s shield.

But Whitedog didn’t seem disheartened.

Simply.

– *Taang!*

Pulling the trigger.

– *Click. Click.*

Reloading bullets.

Repeating this action endlessly.

Mechanically, as if it was the only logical thing to do.

Meanwhile, Sora, seeing Whitedog’s sudden transformation, let out a tearful plea.

“Sister…! It’s me…! Sora, your sister…!”

Empty words appealing to emotion.

Words clearly destined to fail.

However.

“So… ra…?”

Surprisingly, it had an effect.

The gunshots ceased, the silence filled by Whitedog’s mutterings.

“Uh, s-sis…? D-Do you recognize me…?”

“Ugh…!”

She even clutched her head with all her might now, a tormented expression twisting her face.

A response distinctly different from anything Whitey had shown before.

Sora’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“Sis! Could it be you’re finally gett─!”

“Shut your trap, Magical Ant.”

Well, it didn’t last long, though.

– *Taaang!*

Once again, Whitey’s magic rained down.

Still, it wasn’t an entirely hopeless situation.

From Whitey’s reaction just now, we could tell what curse afflicted her.

Just then, Sora spoke the words aloud.

“Sis, it seems like she’s been hit with a brainwashing curse.”

“More precisely, it would seem to be hypnotic brainwashing, Mistress.”

Hypnotic brainwashing.

A kind of perception alteration.

When a magical girl ally turns to the enemy side, it’s a trope that inevitably rears its head.

Probably, Whitey is recognizing herself as this Magical Accountant due to the hypnotic brainwashing. She must perceive us as enemies.

Of course, there’s no reason, or even the thought, to blame Whitey.

The root cause is that freaky villain who cast the curse in the first place, isn’t it?

More than anything, magical girls can’t overcome hypnotic brainwashing. It’s recorded in both the Kojiki and the doujinshi.

Speaking of which, Magical Accountant, huh…

Honestly, it was unexpected.

No wonder Whitey, for someone of her low intellect, flaunted knowledge about stocks when I lectured before; there was a reason for it.

The saying, “intelligence and knowledge are separate,” really hits home today.

Still, Whitey being a moron is unchanging.

A gift is a *Present*, you nitwit. Not *Future*.

Well, anyway.

To break the hypnotic brainwashing afflicting Whitey, one generally has to choose one of two options.

Destroy the abomination that cast the hypnosis.

Or shatter the hypnosis by pouring out the truth.

Here, Sora and Nakji chose the latter.

“Sister! Please, come to your senses! I’m begging you! It’s me! Sora! Your only little sister!”

Sora appealed with tear-filled words, her voice thick with emotion.

“Don’t succumb to mere hypnosis, I implore you! Return to the dignified Magical Girl Gold Retriever, who was confident even with a base and humble brain!”

Nakji, surprisingly, hurled words of grudging admiration.

Could the sincerity of the two magical girls have created a significant ripple within the mind of Heuindungie, who was suffering under the hypnosis curse? Heuindungie’s face twisted even more than before.

“Stop…! I said stop…!”

As a result, Heuindungie could not properly cast her magic. Even the spells she barely managed to utter were much weaker and cruder than before.

It was certainly having an effect.

A scene straight out of the Magical Girl playbook.

At that moment, Sora and Nakji turned their gazes toward me.

“Sunbae, please lend us a hand too!”

“That’s right! We require even one more who can be of assistance!”

I wondered if I really needed to get involved, but their expressions were so earnest that I felt uneasy refusing.

If that’s the case, then I should help.

I am a hero, after all.

Soon, I shouted.

“Wake up, Leiya!”

While I was at it, I spoke Heuindungie’s name for the first time.

“The job of ‘Magical Accountant’ that you speak of is not your real profession!”

“You…”

Heuindungie clutched her head and looked at me.

I raised my voice a little more.

“The spacious and comfortable nest that was granted to you, the wealth that allows you to possess anything you desire, the power and position you hold—they are all nothing but a fabrication!”

Certainly, with my addition, Heuindungie’s reaction became more intense than before. Her pupils trembled fiercely as she stared silently at me alone.

This is a good sign.

An omen that the curse is breaking.

If I pour out more truth here, Heuindungie’s hypnosis curse will soon be lifted.

“Uhm… Senior, please just wait a moment.”

“Inferior species, it would be best… if you chose your words more carefully.”

Sora and Nakji momentarily tried to restrain me, but I had no intention of stopping here.

Hypnosis, by nature, is only broken by cramming in as much truth as possible in the shortest amount of time.

“Wake up! Open your eyes! Quickly reclaim yourself!”

Therefore, I press on, riding the momentum.

To break the curse that’s been laid on Whitey.

“Let’s work and clean until late every evening, eat dry, smelly, and tasteless slop three times a day! It’s not too late yet! Wake─!”

– Ta-aang!

But all that returns is a gunshot.

Meaning, the curse hasn’t been lifted.

No, it would be more accurate to say that it has only gotten stronger.

Whitey no longer contorts his face, nor does he display any great pain.

Simply.

“I will kill you, you son of a b*tch.”

Only glaring at me with murderous intent.

“Sora, the curse isn’t lifting?”

“It’s because Senior is talking like that!!!”

“Ruined by… that inferior species.”

“Ha, this isn’t working.”

I poured out the truth so earnestly, so why isn’t the curse being lifted?

It was unfair. Truly.